"A lot of people have talked about the second season thing but I think it's just an excuse for rubbish players really, so hopefully it doesn't affect me," the player confidently said.

"I've been putting in the hard yards this pre-season, so hopefully I'll continue to do well and show the manager that I can do it all over again.

"I haven't had as much time off as I did last season because I was away with but I've grafted to get fit after my holiday."